Brevard Superintendent pulled over for passing school bus during bus safety campaign

During a campaign to educate drivers about school bus safety laws, Superintendent of Brevard Public Schools Desmond Blackburn was pulled over for failing to stop for a school bus. GINNY BEAGAN/FLORIDA TODAY
Wochit

During a campaign to educate drivers about school bus safety laws, Superintendent of Brevard Public Schools Desmond Blackburn was pulled over for failing to stop for a school bus.

The Melbourne Police Department said Blackburn was pulled over around 8 a.m. March 27 and issued a warning at the intersection of Wickham Road and Longwood Boulevard. Blackburn was driving his district-issued SUV at the time.

He was pulled over during the Melbourne Police Department's "Operation BUSted," a new campaign whose purpose is to reduce the number of drivers illegally passing school buses in order to keep students safe.

Contacted by FLORIDA TODAY, Blackburn would not provide details of the incident, but lauded the safety program.

"I want to thank Melbourne PD for getting out and supporting bus safety week," he said, adding that he was appreciative that the agency was reminding drivers about school bus laws, "and I was one of the drivers that received a reminder."

The maximum penalty for passing a school bus that has a stop sign extended is a $274 fine and four points on your license, according to Melbourne Police. If the driver passes the bus on the side where children enter and exit the bus, the driver is subject to a mandatory court hearing.

Blackburn received only a warning.

CLOSE

Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Desmond Blackburn sits down with FLORIDA TODAY education reporter Caroline Glenn before the start of the 2017-18 school year.

Spokeswoman for police department Cheryl Trainer said that during the campaign, which lasted from Feb. 26 through March 29, officers issued 115 tickets and 14 warnings for failure to stop for a school bus.

"During the course of that campaign, we gave out written warnings to a number of people," Trainer said. "We are looking for compliance, and the officers do have, by policy, ability to exercise discretion. Our big push is to get everybody to start paying attention."

Since February, when the campaign launched, police officers have been visiting school drop-off loops and reaching out to student-drivers to make them aware of the laws.

The law states that cars driving in both directions on a two-lane roadway, including those with a center turning lane or those without a median, must stop for a stopped school bus. Where there is a median separating lanes of traffic, only the cars traveling the same direction as the bus must stop.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and School Superintendent Desmond Blackburn, Ph.D. talk about Brevard school safety in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting. Video by Tim Shortt. Posted 2/26/18.

CLOSE

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Desmond Blackburn, wearing school bus cufflinks, started his day early on the first day of school at 6:30 a.m., riding a school bus to Riviera Elementary school in Palm Bay. Video by Malcolm Denemark